Chapter 9 - Leerums Plot

At first, there was silence, some of the crowd even started to grow excited till they realized that the elders weren’t smiling and understood why, her Ancestral Guardian Spirit was a Demonic Ape, this meant that nearly all chances of future success were nearly zero. At best, her prospects could reach the heights of a low level elite but never a powerhouse of the times. Her future growth was severed. Cultivation already had walls and points of extreme difficulty, added to the calamity of growth barriers that Demonic Apes had. This could only be the cruelest joke ever. Some of the not so smart ones finally realized the weird atmosphere where they originally expected clapping over her aptitude and intimidating ancestral Guardian Spirit form.

Some elders sadly shook their heads. How could this happen? Such a demonic level of aptitude just for it to be wasted because of an erroneous choice in an Ancestral Spirit Guardian. It could be worked around and amended with enough effort, even if it was a speed-based creature! Even a flying bug would have been better because, even with extremely expensive methods, they had higher chances of mutation and atavism. Something that is impossible with the Demonic Apes who seemed to have been cursed by the old heavens. Even if your additional Ancestral Guardian Spirit has a higher growth potential than the Demonic Ape, the curse of the heavens will still limit future growth.

It gives great and immediate power, as well as a very useful tool, but only if you accept you won’t ever grow past a certain point. Only those with subpar aptitude or who wish for a fast increase in power at the cost of a higher future choose these creatures.

Shamaner’s eyes had a barely perceptible glint in his eyes as he watched all of this happen and as Kimarya was awkwardly somewhat holding herself up with confidence that shouldn’t match the atmosphere as she was stepping down from the platform.

While Kimarya was stepping down, Leerum was closely watching her this whole time and found her reaction odd. What he was about to do now, with taking advantage of her moment, didn’t feel very good. Usually, he only cared about matters having to do with him and his family, but he felt an unpleasant taste in his mouth about this.

He had no negative feelings towards her, nor many positive ones, besides considering everything they went through significant, but he needed to take advantage of this situation that he knew would have happened, albeit never imagined her talent would be so absurd.

He already found her extremely intimidating, and that’s without mentioning her unmatched latent talent, but he mostly felt sad, to her reduced prospects in cultivation.

He shook his head and stepped up and onto the platform, looked at all the elders before politely bowing before placing his hand on the deep green Vertuold Augury stone and felt the pull of the stone.

Kimarya watched Leerum while she hid a smirk that tried to rise to her face. How could she not have imagined that the person that would immediately go up after her disappointing display would be the sly Leerum? She expected to feel more upset, but found it more amusing and not as bad if it were someone else.

Suddenly the stone started shining and a piercing cry rang out where the most cowardly jumped and all the elders furrowed their brows, looking around for a second till their gaze rested on the manifestations rising around Leerum. After that, they heard mad laughter and a cacophony of sounds from many kinds of creatures.

A vicious beak rose out of the black gas and enormous wings spread open and piercing blue eyes blinked into existence and stared into the skies. Looking through everyone present with a deep dignity deep within. Underneath the Murder Crow’s manifestation a vicious hyena stood very still, as if subdued by the Murder Crow that overwhelmed the senses of all the younger people present.

Everyone gasped, even a few of the elders. Everything was quiet for a second till some started to shouting and speaking of how amazing that Leerum managed to get a Murder Crow and a Bestial Hyena!!! Though everyone focused more on the fact that he managed to get the Murder Crow.

Then the stars started forming above Leerum, the part that mattered almost as much as the Ancestral Guardian Spirit.

One star, then a second and third star, formed. It didn’t just stop there either; it went to 5 stars and a hazy sixth slowly formed to the gasps of the crowd. Alastair standing in the front of the crowd who has been ignored furrowed his brows and a venomous glint appeared in his eyes.

The elders around Leerum and the Vertuold Augury stone all nodded their heads and gave praise to this youngster, especially considering he was not a child of noble birth. Very few have been able to defeat an infant Murder Crow. It could be said that the future prospects of this member of the younger generation would be almost limitless.

Leerum smiled and bowed again to the Elders before walking off the stage, something that made several of them nod in approval only after seeing his potential, while Shamaner only smiled in an unreadable way.